Post retaining systems and methods are known in the art. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,404,682; Reissue No. 36,550; 5,458,428; 5,307,598; and 5,386,938, all to West, describe various devices for mounting posts, and in particular, hollow square vinyl posts, to secure the same. Difficulties exist, however, with respect to proper plumbing of such posts to ensure correct vertical alignment thereof and with respect to securing such posts in a stable fashion. Moreover, the method by which hollow vinyl posts are connected to a mounting assembly is often complicated and made difficult by the necessity of having various accessories required to perform such task. For example, in prior art post mounting systems and methods, a vice may be utilized to hold the post, a press is utilized to insert elements of the mounting assembly into the hollow interior of the post and a router rig is required to configure the interior and exterior portions of the post so that it can be properly configured for use with such prior art post mounting systems.
FIG. 1 is illustrative of the components used in other prior art mounting assemblies for securing hollow posts in a vertical position. Specifically, there is a support base 12 having: (a) a vertically protruding interior pedestal 16 over which a hollow post (not shown here) is fitted, and (b) a surrounding recess 20 into which a lower end of the hollow post is fitted when secured to the support base 12. The additional components shown in FIG. 1 include mounting screws 24 that can be used to secure support base 12 to a wood deck or porch, a threaded mounting rod 28 that can secure the support base 12 to the deck or porch by attaching the rod 28 to, e.g., an underneath side of the deck or porch so that the rod extends through the deck or porch and then through the center hole 32 of the support base. During assembly the following steps are generally performed: (a) the rod 28 is fastened with nuts and washers to the deck or porch, (b) a hollow post is selected that mates tightly with the pedestal 16 (the post interior is expanded if necessary), (c) the post is positioned on the pedestal 16, (d) the post is then vertically adjusted by various techniques such as: positioning shims underneath one or more of the four corners 36 of support base, reconfiguring the interior of the hollow post, and/or grinding the lower end of the post so that the post will be sufficiently vertical, (e) once the post is sufficiently vertical, screws 40 are threaded into the side of both the post and the support base 12 to secure the post to the support base, and (f) a trim ring 44 is provided over the exposed portion of the support base 12 to thereby cover the connection between the support base and the post.
To secure the hollow post tightly onto the support base 12, the interior pedestal 16 must tightly fit into the interior of the post. Accordingly, such pedestals 16 may be slightly larger than the interior of the post, and thus each pedestal must have its exterior dimensions reduced and/or each post must have its lower end interior dimensions increased so that: (a) the pedestal and its post tightly mate, and (b) when the support base 12 is secured to the ground (via the threaded bolts 24), the post will be (or at least appear to be) exactly vertical. Moreover, since the ends of such hollow posts may not be exactly perpendicular to the length of the post, a user can not always fully seat the lower end of the post into the recess 20. Additionally, the ground upon which the support base 12 is to be attached may not be (and typically is not) completely horizontally level. Thus, there is no simple way to assure that the length of the post will be vertical when put in position. Moreover, once the post is secured to the pedestal, there is no simple means by which the post's orientation to the support base 12 can be adjusted short of disengaging the two customizing their fit.
Thus, it would desirable to have an efficient and sturdy system and method for securely attaching and more easily vertically aligning posts without the need for expensive accessories when performing post mounting operations.